New game: Season one
by Darkfirelight
Summary: Season 9 episode 17 - Checkmate - Chloe is shot in the head. Season 1 - episode 1 - Pilot - Chloe wakes up. Time-travel!
1. Episode 1  Pilot

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smallville or anyone or anything in Smallville.

**Rating: **Rated for sexual situations, language and possible violent situations.

**Summary: **Takes place first in Season 9 episode 17 - "Checkmate" in the episode when Chloe is kidnapped and then back to Season 1 just before the Pilot. Captured by Checkmate, Chloe is shot. Turns out Brainiac may have changed her meteor power more than she knew.

**Pairing: **Chlark.

**Author: **Darkfirelight.

* * *

><p>Clark dashed out the door towards the room Chloe was in as fast as possible. As he smashed the door in everyone turned, firing their guns, even as the lights went out. He systematically knocked the hired lackeys out making his way around the room, stopping the bullets as fast as he could. Seeing the final lackey firing straight at Chloe he dashed forwards, pushing him backwards to crack his head on the wall. He spun to catch the bullet... And missed.<p>

His eyes widened and he sprung forwards as fast as he could... But not fast enough.

Chloe heard the door smash open, she heard screams and gunshots, they registered to her senses for all of around five seconds, along with the brief gusts of wind that went through the room, and then... "NOOOOO!"

***SPLAT***

* * *

><p>"GHUH!" She gasped, breathing heavily as she awoke. "Wha?"<p>

She shot up out of... bed? 'What?' She quickly looked around, noting the cream walls, the light-blue bed, the... room she had lived in since she had moved to Smallville at Thirteen. "What the hell?"

"Language!"

She looked over, wide-eyed, to see her dad frowning at her. She gulped and mumbled out a, "Sorry dad." As she thought over her situation. Something she hadn't told any of her friends, not wanting their pity, was that her father had died a few years ago, whilst Bizarro was around masquerading as Clark. "A-am I dead?"

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "No, but you're late!" He grinned.

She blinked. "...Excuse me?"

"You're late for school." He rolled his eyes. "Teenagers, I swear, half the time you're off in a world of your own!"

She stood up and looked to the side, dazed, to regard herself in the mirror, her eyes widening as she took in her form, clothed in her ensemble, things she hadn't worn in years, and looking younger than before. "Uhhh." She stared, confused, then quickly shook it off and decided to play along. "Right, of course, late for school. Of course I am. I'll just... Get in the car."

"Sorry honey, but you'll have to get the bus today, I've got to be at work in a little while." He smiled apologetically.

She looked back up at him from where she was tying her shoelaces and couldn't help but gawk a little. "O- Okay." She grinned at him falsely. "Thanks anyway."

He smiled back at her. "You have a nice day at school, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He quickly pulled her into a hug and then left, waving oddly as he did, making her giggle.

She smiled until he had left the room and then turned back to the mirror, frowning in contemplation. She pulled the collar of her shirt down and both of her eyebrows raised as she saw smooth, pale skin where there had once been a small, circular scar from Clark's heat vision, something she had always used to remind herself to be wary of others. "Huh, I guess I really have gone back in time." She pondered on who to see and what to do. "I guess for now I'll just pretend that I'm, well... Me." She pursed her lips and straightened her shoulders. "Time to... Go to school. I can't believe I just said that." She grinned.

* * *

><p>'Ugh, one thing I didn't miss about highschool, the smell and noise.' She grimaced as she got onto the bus, smelling the sweat and body odors of the various people crowding the bus, most of them talking at the top of their lungs.<p>

"Hello mademoiselle." Pete made as if to do a seated bow in his seat, making him look as though he were about to fall out of it.

She grinned back at him, "Well, hello good sir." She performed an exaggerated curtly. He laughed as he scooted over to let her sit next to him on the bus. "Sleep well."

She bit her lip as she sat. 'You could say that.' Out loud, however, she answered; "Yeah, great!" Pulling up all of her acting skills to muster as honest a smile as she could.

For several minutes they just sat in silence as the bus drove along the road and then Pete turned to her and, grinning, said; "Five bucks says Clark's late for the bus."

She smirked back at him, feeling nostalgic, "And why would I make a suckers' bet like that?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "You never know, he could be on time." He smirked. "Or is it that you're afraid to 'gamble'?"

She snickered at him and then replied; "Alright then, how about five bucks says he's late... As my bet? Unless you're afraid." She cooed, grinning.

"Ah..." He looked taken aback for a second, and then looked away, frowning. "You're a mean, cruel woman." She laughed into her hand and then turned to regard the Kent farm as they came up to it. 'Hasn't changed a bit.' She smiled warmly, and then blinked as she realized that Jonathan Kent would still be alive and Clark still... Well... Human. 'This is gonna be awkward.'

Then her eyes lit up slightly as the bus continued on without Clark. 'Or not.' She giggled as she saw him frown, like a kicked puppy, at the bus as they turned the corner, heading through town to reach the School.

They waited for everyone else to get off the bus and then exited themselves. Pete turned to her, "So, anyone asked you to the dance yet?" She eyed him, "Actually, I don't think I'm going to go."

He pouted at her, "Why not?"

She smiled slightly at him, apologetic, "Unfortunately, I'm going to be busy on that day, sorry Pete."

He frowned at her. "You work way too hard."

She watched Clark turn the corner and hid a knowing grin, burying it as she turned to face him. "Hey guys!" She pretended to look confused. "How'd you get here so fast?" He looked away and she saw him stifling a grin out of the corner of her eye. 'Cheeky son-of-a... He's enjoying this!' She bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing, hiding her shaking shoulders with a pseudo-confused tilt-of-the-head. "I took a shortcut."

She smiled to herself and then decided, 'Why not break the trend?' She pretended to look considering for a second and then shrugged, replying; "Okay."

Both Pete and Clark turned to look at her, looking surprised, and asked in synchronization, without realizing it; "'Okay', Chloe, are you feeling alright?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Clark furrowed his eyebrows, looking considerate, "I just expected you to ask, you know? Maybe be curious. Not that I mind." He smiled slightly and then went back to looking confused as he finished his sentence.

She smiled lightly, "Your secrets are your own, Clark, I'm sure if you wanted me to know you would tell me." He blinked, surprised, and then he grinned broadly, eyes seeming to sparkle as he bought both his arms towards her. 'Oh hell no!' And then he hugged her, lifting her off the ground with his massive strength. She yelped, "Clark, put me down!" He did so, snickering under his breath.

Pete grinned at her. "As much as I love watching you two lovebirds," He teased, his grin widening as Clark blushed heavily. "We need to hand in our permission slips to Coach Walt." He pulled out both slips.

Clark looked away, "Actually Pete, I'm having second thoughts, I don't think signing up for the team is such a great idea."

Pete sighed and turned, solemn-faced, to regard Clark. "Clark, listen to me, this is the only way."

Chloe grinned as she saw him seem to strike a pose, as though trying to look like a hero without knowing it, her grin widened slightly as she imagined a bikini-clad woman clinging to his leg, like a stereotypical action hero, and she couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She was a bit embarrassed by her outburst, but the past few days had been stressful to say the least.

Clark and Pete turned to her, stunned, and then turned to look at each other, then turned and Pete swiftly grabbed her in a headlock as she was not suspecting it, dragging her to the corner of the school, "We're trying to avoid becoming this years scarecrow." She grimaced as she remembered this little tradition. "Ah, I get it now." She decided to oblige them, "guess you'd better hurry then, huh?"

He grinned and turned to Clark, "When she's right she's right." She snickered and he turned slightly to wink at her. "Come on, Cla-"

She bit her lip to hold in her laughter as she saw him gain that far-away look he always had when he saw Lana. 'Ah, I've... Kind of missed this. So light-hearted, so free.' She smiled, feeling nostalgic yet again.

"I'll see you guys in Class." He said, slowly walking towards Lana, as though she may disappear at any moment. 'What is he thinking about Lana, giant clam and billowing hair? Maybe little cherubs.' She grinned and tried to hold in her laughter.

Pete raised an eyebrow as he saw her smile at Clark as he looked at Lana. As Clark began to walk towards her Chloe turned to smirk at Pete, "Five bucks says that he trips near Lana." He grinned. 'That explains it.' "I give him ten seconds." She smirked even wider. "Five."

They started counting as Clark neared Lana, stopping at five as he fell. Pete groaned and pulled out his wallet, turning to hand Chloe the money, "I should have known better than to bet with the resident 'Queen of weird', especially on Clark Kent." He smirked, looking surprised when she didn't offer a witty rebuttal.

She took the money and put it in her purse. They stood in silence for a few seconds, her staring at Clark and him looking at her, confused. She grinned as she regarded him out of the corner of her eye. "What? When you're right, you're right." And then the bell rang, leaving him staring after her as she skipped towards class. "I fell right into that one, didn't I?" He murmured to himself, eyeing her swaying hips. 'Girl IS fine though.' He nodded, as though agreeing with himself. She turned to look at him, "Pete, are you coming?"

He grinned and nodded as he ran to keep up with her. A mild knowing smirk on her lips as she looked at him. He blushed.

* * *

><p>Chloe grinned as she turned the corner to the football stadium, watching Lana cheer and the football team practicing, but she wasn't here in her lunch-break to watch the jocks practice their passing, she looked around the pitch looking for... There he was!<p>

Clark sat in the bleachers, drinking his juice as he watched Lana from a distance. "Hey!" He turned, startled, and smiled slightly when he noticed it was her. "Hi Chloe."

She traipsed over and sat down next to him, quirking an eyebrow as she watched him turn back to stare at Lana. "Yeah, if I were gay I'd go for her too."

He spun to look at her, eyes wide and jaw dropping as he gawked. She blushed as she realized he was a little too young to go for that kind of humour. "Heh, sorry. Too much?"

He coughed slightly and turned back to the pitch, blushing. "A little."

They sat in silence and then she noticed him staring at her and then Lana repeatedly, blushing as he did so, he breathed out heavily and licked his lips, then his eyes started to glow slightly, he started blinking rapidly.

"Uhh." He gulped, holding his head with one arm, and then she recognized the signs. "CLARK, LOOK UP, NOW!" He immediately followed her orders instinctively, letting loose a long stream of heat straight into the sky, leaving a large hole steaming in the bleachers roof directly above him and parting the clouds. His eyes widened when he saw the massive hole and he looked at her, fearfully, before grabbing his bag and running out of the bleachers at human speeds.

She pursed her lips as she stared at the thick hole in the roof and remembered his furtive looks. "Wow." She blushed and giggled slightly. "Dirty."

She quickly got up and ran to the door, deciding to jog to the Kents and explain, no doubt Clark was already there, but it was only a 15-20 minute jog to get there on foot, she might be able to get there in time to explain.

Meanwhile Pete stared at them, confused. "Wonder what's up with them." He frowned, then shrugged.

* * *

><p>Chloe bent forwards, holding her knees as she bent forwards, breathing heavily. "Hah... Hah... Too... *Gulp* ...Out of shape." She stood up straight. "I need to get some exercise."<p>

She walked towards the main house of the Kent farm, listening to Clark and his parents through the window next to the front door. "...It was like I shot **heat** out of my **eyes**, and Chloe saw it happen. How can I explain it?"

"Clark, son, we'll figure this out together, but I'm sure we can think of some way to cover this up, something to tell Chloe."

She decided that right now was as good a moment as any to cut in. "Actually, there's no need." She pushed the door open and walked in. Clark, Jonathan and Martha all turned to her, looking apprehensive. "I know." She smiled sympathetically.

Jonathan stepped forwards. "Chloe, this isn't- this is not- It." She cut across, "Don't worry Mr. Kent, I've known for a while, well not here but in the future... Well..." The three stared at her, confused. "Perhaps I should explain." So she did, the organisation checkmate, being kidnapped, waking up at home, how she had known Clark's secret for years and how she had helped him.

By the end of the story all three were gaping at her. Finally Jonathan snapped out of it. "Chloe, that's- that's something else, but why would you keep his secret? Surely you know what it could do for your career?" He judged, eyeing her speculatively. She smiled gently, "We're best friends, Mr. Kent, I would never betray him like that."

Clark tilted his head and asked her, "Chloe, aren't you afraid of, paradoxes and things like that...?" She giggled at his confused expression. "Time doesn't work that way, so far as I can tell, I'm stuck here, best to just get on with it."

Even as she said it and the three Kents relaxed she felt something inside of her unclench, like a knot loosening. Through thick and thin, they were best friends, no matter what. She looked down and told them; "As much as a miss my old time... home... Whatever, I can do a lot better here." She then grimaced, "Even if I have to go through highschool again."

He smiled at her, then teased, "You poor, poor woman." She grinned and dramatically flung her head back, palming it with her hands, "Alas, I will survive!"

The four of them laughed.

Finally Jonathan asked her a question, "So you know... Everything about Clark?" She nodded, tilting her head. "Yeah, why?"

Clark cut in, "What is it dad?"

Jonathan sighed, "Clark, I think it's about time I told you where you came from." Her eyes widened. "You haven't... told him?" She murmured, disbelieving.

He grimaced, "I didn't think he was quite ready." She frowned but otherwise stayed silent. "Alright, I already know, Clark?" He turned to her, looking confused. "No matter what you learn, it doesn't change anything, you're still Clark Kent." She smiled and he hesitantly smiled back.

She walked towards the door before briefly pausing, hand on the frame, and turning to smile at him. "I'll see you later." She grinned and left the house, resigning herself to a long walk home.

* * *

><p>It was as she was walking along the road, enjoying the cool breeze that she noticed a spool of wire in the road. "Hm." She resolved to pick it up but as she crossed the road a silver Porsche came speeding along the road, it hit the wire spool, puncturing it's tires and spun straight at her, her eyes widened and only by sheer reflex did she manage to spin, narrowly avoiding being hit as it went flying off the bridge. "Oh my god." She gasped, watching it him the water. She hesitated for only a moment before throwing her coat to the side, turning to dive into the water and save whoever was in it.<p>

The water churned violently around the car, obscuring her view, but she managed to push through a hole in the windscreen, pulling the driver to safety. As she reached the surface she pulled off the shirt he was wearing and started pumping his chest to clear his lungs. The man sputtered as he spat out water, coughing and choking. She looked up, relieved, to meet the eyes of Lex Luthor. 'Oh no.' He blinked. "I thought... I hit you." She gulped and said the first thing to come to her head. "If you did, I'd be dead." 'OH NO!'

Half an hour later found her sitting on a rock in a red blanket, surrounded by emergency services as they surveyed the crash site, jotting down notes. Clark and Jonathan Kent came running down the hill leading up to the bridge, looking panicked. "Chloe!" Clark shouted, looking around, eyes alight in panic.

She looked up from where she was giving her account of what had happened, "I'm right here Clark." He sighed in relief and dashed towards her, bending forwards to hug her tightly, "We came as soon as we could."

Jonathan dashed to the other side of her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, are you alright?" She nodded, still shivering in the cold air, "F-fine." She smiled.

He turned to look at the nearest Police officer, "Who was the maniac who was driving that car!" He shouted at the nearest Police Officer.

"That would be me." He turned to look at the fresh-faced young man approaching him. "Lex Luthor."

He turned to look at him and then heaved out a sigh, shrugging off his jacket and placing it around Chloe's shoulders. "Jonathan Kent."

Lex tilted forwards and smiled at Chloe, "Thanks for saving my life."

She looked down but couldn't resist responding with; "I'm sure you would have done the same thing."

He smiled at her, looking slightly guilty. 'Because he wouldn't.' she thought to herself bitterly, and then turned back to Jonathan as he helped her up the hill. "You have quite an extraordinary girl there , if there's any way I can repay you."

He turned to look Lex in the face and replied; "Drive slower." Warming Chloe when she realized he hadn't denied considering her family. 'Aw.'

Lex frowned and then turned to stare at his car as it was pulled out of the water.

* * *

><p>Chloe stared at the receiver in her hand, apparently Lex had sent a pink-ribbon wrapped red convertible to the Kent farm, leaving a note for her as well. She pondered what to do about the situation and then turned her attention back to the receiver in her hand. "Could you have Clark send it back? Or scrap it. I don't care which." She sniffled, holding back a sneeze.<p>

She calmly hung up and frowned as she pondered over the situation, like hell was she going to accept gifts from a Luthor. Especially not when she had a cold.

* * *

><p>Clark turned the corner leading to the Kent farm. Chloe had not been in school because she had been off sick, apparently with a cold from the dive into the river. He started as he saw the red convertible, eyeing it as he walked around it. He turned to his mother. "Who's car?" He asked her curiously.<p>

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Chloe's, apparently."

He blinked and frowned slightly. "Apparently?"

She nodded. "Chloe wants you to take it back, hand the keys back to Lex." She told him, handing him said keys.

He blinked again and pouted. "But I just got back from school. Can't it wait?"

Martha shook her head. "No it can't. Whatever you have to do can wait." She told him, giving him a look.

He sighed. "Fine." He grinned. "Can I drive it back?"

Martha AND Jonathan, inside the barn, shouted; "NO!"

"Mm." He frowned, pouting. "Fine."

* * *

><p>"Hey." Chloe greeted Clark, smiling. "Have you taken the car back yet?"<p>

"Yeah." He replied with a grin. "Get this, Lex thought you were my sister."

She grimaced slightly. "Eeeew." He snickered at her. "I know, right? And he nearly impaled me with a sword."

She giggled. "Nearly impaled 'you'? Riiiiiiiight."

He blushed. "Well, nearly hit me. Happy? He's quite a friendly guy." She pursed her lips, but quickly agreed, not wanting to judge him on his behaviour in the future.

She walked to the Torch with him, ignoring the mutters of the people around them as they stared at her. "News travels fast, doesn't it?"

He snickered. "Yeah, I guess so, 'Ms. Journalist'."

She pouted and smacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up."

They grinned at eachother as they entered the office. He stopped, staring at the wall. "What's that?"

"Hm?" She turned to him and looked in the same direction as he was. "Oh, that? I forgot you hadn't seen it yet. I call it The Wall of Weird!"

He frowned as he looked at the cases on the wall, all pointing to the meteor rocks being at fault. "All my fault..."

She raised an eyebrow and then her eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about. "No it's not."

He turned to her. "Huh?"

She smiled lightly, "Yeah, in the future we found out that the meteors would have hit the earth, ship or no ship." She lightly brushed a hand across his shoulder. "It was just a freak coincidence, not your fault in any way."

He blinked rapidly and grinned, staring into her eyes. They stayed that way for several seconds and then Chloe awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Well, we should probably get started on this." She pulled a case-file out of her desk. He blinked, "Who is it?" He asked, staring at the picture in the file.

She turned to him. "Jeremy Creek. He's a meteor freak, electricity." She explained. "He was also the scarecrow during the meteor shower." His eyes widened. "That's right. He wants revenge."

"So what do we do now?" He asked her. "We wait." She pursed her lips, annoyed. "We don't know where he is so we can't do anything yet." He blinked again. She looked at him, slightly annoyed. "Will you stop blinking." He adopted a sheepish look. "Sorry."

She huffed, "Anyway, her shows up during the dance. As is I don't know where so to figure it out you may have to be the Scarecrow." She frowned.

"What!" He all but shouted. She turned back to him. "Whitney is going to ambush you with Lana's necklace and make you the scarecrow, lives are at stake Clark, you're going to have to go along with it if we want to save them."

He frowned and gulped, but none-the-less nodded his acquiescence. "Fine." She smiled tenderly at him, "Thank you, now I'll go wait in the fields for you and untie you after Jeremy appears, I'll take off the necklace as soon as they leave."

He nodded.

* * *

><p>He grimaced in pain as the jocks left, the necklace burning and making him sweat. "Agh."<p>

"hold still for a second Clark." He heard faintly, feeling the necklace pulled above his head and hearing it hit the ground some feet away.

He breathed easier, no longer in pain, to see Chloe, dressed in full black leather. "What are you wearing?"

She blushed slightly. "I thought it would be better to camouflage myself, y'know?"

He looked down from his place, hanging from the scarecrow pole to gaze directly down her tight vest, accentuating her breasts. He licked his lips and mumbled; "I'm not complaining." He blushed and squinted, trying to see them better. Then his X-ray vision activated for the first-time. "Whoa."

She blushed heavily and covered her chest with her crossed arms. "Perv!"

He blushed as well, quickly looking away. "I-I'm sorry." He bit his lip shamefully.

She grinned up at him. "Kidding."

He blinked and turned to look at her, seeing a mischievous grin on her face. "Hey!"

She snickered into her hand and then her eyes widened, hearing shuffling approaching. "I think he's coming, I'll hide." She quickly moved deeper into the cornstalks. Watching as Jeremy and Clark argued and stealthily approached his back, narrowing her eyes in concentration and... ***FZZT***

"CHLOE!" Clark shouted, watching her taze Jeremy. Quickly pulling free of his restraints and stepping forwards to catch him. "Why did you do that?"

She smiled nervously. "Well, I figured, as he was suffering an electrolyte imbalance, if I shocked him it should push it even further, taking away his powers and turning him back to normal."

He glared. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to do this?"

She blushed. "Well, I thought you might disagree with me on the best approach so I kind of decided to do it myself."

He stared at her, hurt. "Did you really think I would not listen to you?"

She stared at him and it occurred to her, possibly for the first time since she had gotten here, that her Clark and this Clark were totally different. Whereas her Clark never seemed to listen to her or trust her, this Clark actually treated her much better than her Clark. She teared up slightly and jumped forwards to wrap her arms around him, burying her face into his waist. "I'm sorry!"

He swallowed as she cried into his bare torso and wrapped his arms around her. "Er, that's... Okay? Just- Tell me when you're going to do something like that in the future, okay?"

She giggled into his waist, smiling up at him and nodded. 'So clueless.' It occurred to her for the first time since getting here that if given the choice between staying in this time and going back to hers, she might stay, relationship be damned. 'Things are so much simpler.'

She heard another shuffling coming from the cornstalks and they both quickly turned, Clark lightly pushing her behind him. They stared as Lex Luthor walked into the clearing, staring at them. "Uh." He put so eloquently, staring at the unconscious boy held in a shirtless Clark Kent's arms as he covered a leather-clad Chloe Sullivan with his body.

"Urk." Clark grimaced. "This isn't what it looks like?"

Lex just blinked. Chloe stepped forwards and tried to explain. "The jocks hang a Freshman from the Scarecrow post with an 'S' painted on his chest once a year and Clark got chosen and I came to get him off of the post when this guy appeared and started saying he was going to electrocute everyone in the school while they were in the main hall so I tazed him and got Clark down from the post and then you showed up." She quickly got out in one breathe, breathing heavily afterwards.

"Uh-huh." He raised both eyebrows. "And the leather?"

She looked down at her leather-clad form and blushed. "I snuck out." He quirked an eyebrow and grinned slightly. "In leather?" She looked off to the side. "It works in the movies."

He snickered at her. "Uh-huh. Maybe we should call the authorities to deal with him?" He tilted his head towards Jeremy. She nodded. "Alright."

Half an hour later found the local authorities and numerous curious townsfolk and students listening to their account of events.

Clark turned, shirtless with an 'S' on his massive muscular chest, to talk to Chloe, clad in skin-tight black leather. "You do realize that people are going to be talking about this?" He asked her, sheepishly grinning. She slapped her face into her cupped hands, letting out a muffled 'Oh God.' Making him snicker.

* * *

><p>AN: What story is a story without both humour and drama? I hope you enjoyed chapter one! TTFN! (Ta-Ta For Now!) Please let me know what you think!


	2. Episode 2  Metamorphosis

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smallville or anyone or anything in Smallville.

**Rating: **Rated for sexual situations, language and possible violent situations.

**Summary: **Takes place first in Season 9 episode 17 - "Checkmate" in the episode when Chloe is kidnapped and then back to Season 1 just before the Pilot. Captured by Checkmate, Chloe is shot. Turns out Brainiac may have changed her meteor power more than she knew.

**Pairing: **Chlark.

**Author: **Darkfirelight.

**Chapter two:**

* * *

><p>When Clark had arrived home that night his parents had run straight for him, worried beyond belief. "Mom, Dad, I'm fine! I need to talk to you about something!"<p>

Martha and Jonathan stepped backwards, looking worried. "What is it son?" Jonathan finally asked.

"Well..." He blushed. "While I was out in the field I activated another power."

"What power son?" Jonathan asked, sounding almost afraid.

"I can... see through things." He finally said after a brief pause.

Martha and Jonathan stared for a few seconds, gawking before slowly Jonathan asked, nervously, "Well son, how did it... activate?"

He swallowed, looking away before finally answering, "It activated when I was above Chloe, tied to the scarecrow post..."

Jonathan continued on, "...And you could almost see down her... vest?" He looked at him enquiringly.

Clark gulped and nodded.

Jonathan sighed and started; "Well you see son, sometimes a man meets a woman and they get these urges..."

"Dad, no."

"And these urges, well they're just..."

"Dad, No!"

"Natures way of telling you..."

"Dad, STOP!"

"That you're going through something very strange..."

"DAD, NO!"

"...Hair in strange places..."

"NO, NO, NO!"

"...Sexual, why, me and your mother..."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

><p>Chloe couldn't help but be afraid. She was afraid because there were variables that she couldn't change. She couldn't help Davis Bloome for at least a few years because the fortress was inactive, she couldn't stop many of the meteor freaks. Something she COULD stop, however, was the second meteor shower. No human blood could touch the stones, she could prevent this.<p>

She marked it down on the underside of her beds' frame, along with many other notes of things to stop.

'Stop Doomsday.'

'Prevent Pete being tortured by the FBI.'

'Incarcerate Lionel Luthor.'

'Prevent Jimmy Olsen's death.'

'Kandorians.'

'Find the stones.'

And the last note bought a tear to her eyes and a smile to her lips.

'Help Clark.'

Things would be different. She swore it.

* * *

><p>As they sat on the bus to School Chloe grinned at Clark and Pete, "So, Pete, how was your afternoon yesterday?"<p>

He grinned back at her. "Pretty good, dancing with one of the prettiest girls in school."

She smiled at him, "That's nice."

He smirked back at her, "But not as interesting as your night, right? I heard you were found dressed in tight, black clothes with Clark shirtless and covered in red and sweat." He grinned even wider.

Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him with wide eyes, she quickly snapped her jaw shut, gulping. "That- That's not how people are telling it, right?" His grin just widened. "Right!"

He snickered at her misfortune, "I'm afraid so."

She bit her lower lip, her eyes wide with horror. "Oh, snap." She looked at him, his face tinged pink as he struggled to contain his laughter. "Y-You're joking right? You are kidding!" Pete burst into laughter, drawing the attention of the bus to them. Chloe sunk into her seat slightly, blushing a deep crimson as she tried to shrink as much as was possible

Pete wiped the tears from his eyes, still snickering as he saw Chloe try to hide behind her bag and turned to Clark. "And how about you...?" He trailed off, seeing the haunted look on his friend's face. "Dude, you alright?" He reached forwards, looking concerned and patted him on the shoulder.

Clark started slightly, then sighed and sunk into his seat, closing his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

Pete recoiled, his eyes wide and Chloe quickly adopted a sympathetic look, the reasoning for his behaviour becoming obvious. "You were given The Talk, weren't you?"

He furrowed his brow, a frown crossing his face. "Can we talk about something else?" he asked them, looking into the sky.

Chloe "hn'ed" and snapped her fingers, "How about the farmers' market tomorrow?"

Clark sat up straighter and grinned, his eyes lighting up. "I forgot about that, me, mom and dad," His eyes narrowed at 'dad', making her grin even wider, "Are going, we're going to have our own stall, maybe I'll see Lana, a lot of the farmers in town are going to be there."

Chloe grinned at Clark's enthusiasm. 'Ah, the simple enjoyments of the farming community.' "Great, mind if I come along?" He grinned even wider (If such a thing was possible) and replied; "Sure."

She pretended to put a thoughtful finger to her mouth and faux-pondered; "I wonder if Lana will buy something, she might even come over and talk to you." snickering when she saw him adopt the 'Dreamy expression' as she liked to call it. 'That's kind of sad.'

"...You are a cruel, evil woman." Pete murmured, staring at his blissfully unaware best friend.

She giggled. "I know, but it's so fun." She replied, picking up her drink and taking a chug from the bottle.

Pete grinned at his friends unfeminine behaviour. "Whatever you say..." He waited until the bottleneck was to her lips before continuing on, "...Ms. Dominatrix."

"GURK!" She choked on her drink. After holding her throat and choking she glared at Pete, pouting at him. "You're one to talk about cruelty." She sulked, turning away from him.

He just grinned and waved two finger at her mockingly as she pouted.

* * *

><p>"...Well this is... Droll." She stated flatly, staring at the stalls, filled with homemade foods and trinkets. "Well, at least I remember why I didn't go last time." She sighed, rubbing her nose with her palm, the air filled with the smell of god-knows-what making it itchy.<p>

Clark smirked back at her, snickering at her scratching nose. "C'mon Chloe, it's not that bad, it's not my fault you forgot about your hay-fever." He told her, his grin widening.

She pouted and turned to glare at him. "I don't have hay-fever, it just smells here." Clark's smirk widened into a good-natured grin. She looked away. "...I wanna go back to Metropolis."

"Aw, there-there." He grinned, patting her on the back as he passed by her, arms laden down with a crate of vegetables, "Help me carry some of this, will you?"

She sniffed and picked up a small box filled with carrots. "Happy?" She asked him defiantly, picking one out and throwing it at his head, smacking him in the side of it.

He rolled his eyes at her as Jonathan and Martha grinned at them from the side, "I thought you said you were from the future, making you older than me?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "...What are you insinuating, Kent?" She cocked her arm back, another carrot at the ready.

He snickered again, "Oh, nothing." He put his last crate down next to their stall before picking up the sign from the ground, telling Pete he would handle it. Pete thanked him and went to look around the stalls (Read: Ladies).

Martha pulled Chloe off to the side to help her check out some of their stock. She tilted her head considerately at the layout, noting the brightness of the apples. "That looks good, I like that." She told the older woman, straightening some of the containers.

Clark peeked around to make sure nobody was looking and pressed the nail into the sign with his thumb, pushing it into the wood. Chloe snickered from her place next to Martha, causing her and Jonathan to look over at Clark, they both gave him deadpan looks as they saw his thumb. He bit his lip and shrugged. "What?" They both shook their heads in exasperation, causing Chloe to snicker slightly louder, making him crack a grin.

Jonathan patted him on the back. "Good job, son. That's nearly the last of it, I can cover the rest. Why don't you and Chloe take a look at some of the stuff on sale?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Chloe, knowing full-well that she was probably bored stiff sitting around here.

Clark grinned widely and replied; "Sure!" Putting an arm around Chloe's shoulder and pulling her aside, Pete coming over to put an arm around her other shoulder.

She grinned, pushing them away slightly, "A little space you guys, I can walk, you know?" Then she looked over and her eyes lit up. "All hail the Homecoming King and Queen!" She shouted over at Whitney and Lana, smirking good-naturedly.

Lana looked over, raising an eyebrow and returned her grin, if a little confusedly. Chloe mentally smacked herself as she realized that they hadn't become friends yet.

Lana walked over, ignoring Pete and Chloe temporarily to turn to Clark, "Clark, I didn't see you at the dance last night." Chloe winced.

He smiled, "I was-" He lost his smile and a neutral look took over his face. "-A little tied up." He finished, staring at Whitney over Lana's shoulder. Lana turned to look at him, confused and Whitney looked away, pursing his lips.

"Hey!" Jonathan came over, smiling at Whitney, "Congratulations!" He said, reaching out to grasp Whitney's hand and shake it. Whitney grinned widely, reaching out for the shake. "That was one heck of a game, I haven't seen an offence that good since I played!" He joked.

Whitney nodded, smiling. "Thank you ."

Clark turned, pasting a false smile on his face, "I'm gonna get the rest of the boxes out of the truck." He told his dad. Jonathan followed him with his eyes as he walked away, confused.

Whitney looked over as Clark walked away. "I'll help!" He told Jonathan and Lana, making to follow, Chloe quickly shrugged off Pete, "I'm going to make sure those two don't do something rash." She told him. He winced, remembering the Scarecrow incident, "You want me to help?" She shook her head, "No, I'll be fine, don't want to start a riot or anything, why don't you distract Lana and ?"

She quickly wondered over to listen in on Whitney and Clark, "...Last night was just a joke, right?" Whitney asked Clark, smirking.

Clark looked off to the side and kept walking, ignoring Clark. Whitney put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, I need that necklace back." He told Clark seriously.

Clark smiled faintly, finally looking up at Whitney, "I don't have it."

Whitney looked to the side and sighed, "...Look, it's Lana's favourite, so..." "...So you'd better go out to that cornfield and find it." Clark finished, glaring at him, then turning to walk away.

Chloe watched Whitney glare after him then stepped out to reveal herself. "Whitney!"

He turned to look at her. "Chloe?" He intoned, sounding confused at how friendly she was acting.

She stopped in front of him. "Looking for this?" She smiled, holding out Lana's meteor rock necklace.

He grinned widely, relieved. "Yeah, where'd you find it?" He asked, holding out his hand.

She dropped all pretenses and stared at him stone-faced. "The cornfield." She glared.

He gulped and looked away slightly, wondering at how a girl a foot shorter than him managed to intimidate him. "Right, can I have it back?" He smiled, hoping she would fall for his clueless act.

"Sure." She replied lazily. He grinned at her. "But if you do something like what you did before, there will be payback." She glared again and he raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Your fathers failing health may be upsetting you but that's no excuse to take it out on others."

He stopped dead, staring at her in shock. "H-How did you...?" She looked him in the eye. "I have my sources."

Whitney's father had been showing steadily declining health over the past several weeks, it was getting to the point where he had trouble walking around. "I can help him, you know?"

He sucked in, sharply, "H-how?" He asked her, stunned. She smiled. "I know someone who can synthesize a cure." She replied, dropping the necklace into his outstretched hand. 'Meteor powers For The Win!' She thought to herself, grinning even wider.

Whitney wasn't stupid, despite appearances, he had to maintain a certain grade average in order to stay on the football team, afterall, he knew that something like this came without questions, but not without strings, he'd seen enough Cop dramas to know how Blackmail and Bribery worked. "...What'll it cost?" He grimaced, looking down at the necklace in his hand.

She smiled up at him. "You apologize to Clark and come clean to Lana, and tell me anything you hear Lex Luthor say whenever he's around Clark or Lana and anything odd around town, deal?" She held out her hand.

He looked down at her, so tiny in comparison to him and raised an eyebrow at the last two requests but nonetheless reached out to shake. "Deal."

She beamed widely, "Great, here's my number." She quickly wrote it down and slapped in down on top of the necklace. "I'll get back to you on the cure, if your dad gets bad enough to be hospitalized then I'll have it administered ASAP, that's the best I can do."

She felt slightly guilty as she walked away, but the satisfaction overrode it. She had an informant and Whitney's father got the help he needed.

"Hey!" She shouted up at Clark as he lifted one of the crates out of the truck, he turned and pasted on a false smile that she could clearly see through from a mile away. "Hey yourself."

She looked up at him, "What's wrong?"

He grimaced. "That obvious?" He asked her, chuckling hollowly.

She tilted her head, confused and concerned, wondering what was wrong, "Pretty much, yeah, what's up?"

He blinked and sighed, "Nothing."

She eyed him speculatively and then grinned knowingly, "Lana?"

He blinked again, this time in shock, turning to look at her, lips slightly parted as he asked her, befuddled; "Yeah, how'd you know?"

She chuckled under her breathe, "Clark, you have no idea how irrational you get over Lana." He glared at her, she sighed, "Look, Clark, if something is meant to be, it's meant to be, stop worrying about your relationship with Lana."

He turned to her, hesitantly, "Did we... Have a relationship? In the future?" He asked her.

She shook her head in exasperation. "That... Is a secret." She said with a grin, turning and walking away with a cheeky wink.

He stared after her and pouted, shouting after her, "That's not fair! Come on!"

She walked faster and winked at him again just as she left his sight. His pout deepened. "Now that's just not fair..."

Lex came over to him, seemingly out of nowhere, taking an apple, having caught his last sentence. "That's women."

He stared at Lex, confused, and then his eyes widened as he realized just what he was insinuating. "That's not- Me and Chloe aren't... You're just screwing with me, aren't you?" He finally realized, walking the grin that had slowly spread across Lex's face as he denied him and Chloe.

Lex chuckled, "Maybe, it's what the younger people are there for." He frowned. "I feel so old." He looked over at Clark, spotting Jonathan coming over. "!" He said, holding out a hand.

Jonathan hesitantly pasted a smile on and shook his hand, "Lex." He turned to Clark, "Come on, we've got to finish up."

Lex tilted his head over at him, "At least I got a handshake this time." Clark grinned and walked after his father.

Lex smiled and turned, taking a bite out of his apple as he watched Lana walk past. He dropped the apple, spitting out the piece he was chewing and furrowing his eyebrows, but quickly recovered, continuing to stare at Lana.

* * *

><p>Clark spotted Chloe walking in the hallway of the school and quickly walked over to her, trying to get her attention.<p>

"Chloe! Is Greg Arkin still a side-reporter for the Torch?" Clark asked her, tilting his head curiously.

She stared at him and bit her lower lip, her eyes widening, "How could I forget? He's a meteor freak, right?" She looked up at him.

He blinked, stunned. 'Right, future-girl.' He mentally face-palmed, feeling stupid. "Right." He groaned, sounding exasperated. He turned back to her, "So, what's his power?"

She furrowed her brows and squinted, trying to remember, making him grin at the adorable look on her. "Anything insect related, if I remember correctly he was infected by a swarm of meteor infected insects, in large numbers they made him a meteor freak." She smiled and then frowned, "He hasn't shown his face in around a week."

He sighed, "Right, thanks."

She looked up at him, looking worried, "Clark, bugs have a short lifespan, we need to find him. If I remember correctly... He's killed his mother." She whispered. "And he's after Lana, I've forgotten where he could be, though."

Clark's eyes widened, "wherever Lana might be, with her horses!" He shouted, she grabbed his coat. "What?"

She pursed her lips and looked him in the eyes, "I'm coming with you."

He clenched his teeth. "It might be dangerous."

She didn't falter, "I'll stay out of sight and make sure Lana's okay." He looked to the side, as though thinking. "I won't go anywhere near Greg, promise."

He looked down, "Alright, but stay out of sight." He walked out of the School, she trailed behind him, slightly stunned that he had agreed so readily.

* * *

><p>Clark looked around the stables with his X-ray vision, "There he is, in the rafters." He whispered to Chloe, making sure Greg didn't hear them even outside.<p>

She grinned, "Perfect." She pulled out a glowing blue syringe, making him eye it curiously. "What's that?" He asked, staring at the needle warily.

She smiled, "Blue meteor rock." He backed away from her, looking betrayed. She eyed him, confusedly and then realized what he was thinking, "Oh, no! No, no, no. The blue meteor rock doesn't mutate people, it can neutralize certain infections, and it can't hurt you."

He frowned in confusion at her, "You mean it neutralizes meteor freaks?"

She shook her head, "Only when they're inflicted on them and they're not either born with them or set into the them fully biologically, it wouldn't work on me because the meteor rock concentration is around my heart, whereas Greg's is only in his bloodstream, that's why it renders some meteor infected mentally unstable."

He nodded, "Okay, you know a lot about this." She grinned, then his eyes widened, "You're a meteor freak?"

She frowned at the term but nodded. "I heal, I'll show you later, right now we need to stop Greg."

He frowned but nodded.

Ten minutes later Greg was down and out, stronger and faster than usual and with a few different powers but not nearly strong enough to match up to Clark.

As she injected him with the chemical cocktail Clark turned to her, "So your power?" She grinned and put her hand to a bruise on Greg's arm, healing it.

He noticed her grimace and shift. "Does it hurt when you do that?"

She looked away, "No." He looked unconvinced. "...A little. But I'm perfectly fine afterwards." She grinned at him. "Promise."

He nodded, still looking wary.

"The blue meteor rock affects you, by the way." He raised both eyebrows, "When you're holding blue meteor rock it temporarily neutralizes your powers."

He looked at her, shocked. "You mean... I could be normal?"

She shook her head, "Normal's overrated Clark." He looked unconvinced. "In my time you were normal and within weeks you were shot and needed to regain your powers." He gulped at the word 'Shot', "Besides, I'm not normal myself, you don't see me complaining." He frowned at her. "If I get emotional and cry I automatically take the injury of the person I'm crying on, it 'kills' me for a few hours and then I wake up." She gained a haunted look in her eyes, "Sometimes in the morgue."

He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, "I promise I won't let you wake up in the morgue ever again." He looked into her eyes, "I swear."

She looked into his eyes and smiled, teary-eyed. "I know you wouldn't." She grinned at him. "I trust you."

He smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I trust you.

Whitney and Lana walked into the stables, catching sight of the two, they stared in confusion, first at the bruised Greg, then Chloe and Clark, hugging eachother with tears running down Chloe's cheeks. Whitney stepped forwards, "Are you guys okay?"

Clark and Chloe both started, surprised to see them there but nodded. Chloe rubbed away her tears. "Call the cops, he killed his mother and we realized he was going to come after Lana." Their eyes widened.

Lana cupped her face in her hands. "Oh my god." She whispered, her eyes wide as she buried her face in Whitney's jacket. Chloe looked across, expecting to see Clark looking at Lana and Whitney, only to find herself surprised to find him looking at her with a slight smile on his face.

Half an hour later the Police were holding Greg in custody, Whitney had apologized to Clark and Clark had accepted his apology, both Lana and Whitney were back at her house, explaining what had happened to Nell and Clark was explaining the situation to his parents. Chloe had decided not to tell her Father, but still found herself thinking back to the situation, though for a different reason than the others.

She thought back to the look that Clark had given her and found herself murmuring words that she had said once before a year ago, with Clark in mind.

She mulled over the look in her eyes and found herself telling him, in her mind, "You've never looked at me like that before."

* * *

><p>By the end of the week the word had spread around school about how Greg Arkin had been arrested for murdering his own mother, and Clark and Chloe found themselves being hailed as the current 'heroes' around the small community, something that Clark found embarrassing and Chloe found hilarious.<p>

Despite being older, mentally, than all the other students, she still found herself blushing when she heard people calling them a couple, though Clark, as always, remained oblivious.

* * *

><p>AN: Chapter 2 completed! That makes this story over 9000 words long, the longest story I've written thus far!

IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!

P.S. Note that Chloe does not trust Lex, she's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now because she hasn't seen him show an unhealthy interest in Clark yet, and this time Clark and Lex's friendship is built around Lex wanting to get on her good side and find out more about her, "The more you know" and all that.


	3. Episode 3 Hothead Part I

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville.

**Rating: **Rated for sexual situations, language and possible violent situations.

**Summary: **Takes place first in Season 9 episode 17 - "Checkmate" in the episode when Chloe is kidnapped and then back to Season 1 just before the Pilot. Captured by Checkmate, Chloe is shot. Turns out Brainiac may have changed her meteor power more than she knew.

**Pairing: **Chlark.

**Author: **Darkfirelight.

**Chapter three:**

* * *

><p>Whitney Fordman grinned widely as he charged down the wet, slippery pitch. Despite the fact that it was raining heavily he still couldn't help but think of it as one of the best days of his life, the reason being the man standing against the barrier seperating the stands from the Pitch, screaming at the top of his lungs.<p>

A few days ago he had come home to find his father nearly comatose on the ground in the living room, his newly acquired walking stick on the ground next to him. Distraught Whitney had called the Paramedics and they had carted his father off to the hospital, informing his son and wife that the man had at best a year left. He had been near hysterical; How could this happen to him? What had they done to deserve this? Just... Why?

It hadn't been until a full two days later that he had remembered Sullivan's words and, in desperation, called her; The girl had responded the next day telling him to go visit his father in the hospital. At first he had thought she meant as in to see him before he died: That was before he received the call from the hospital informing him of his father's miraculous recovery.

Stunned, he had dashed to his pick-up truck and drove as fast as he could to the hospital, to find his father miraculously well. He had nearly cried tears of joy until his father had barked at him to "stop being such a girl"; To quote the man himself.

It had been shortly before he left that he had heard of the "Young blonde girl" that slipped into a coma for just hours while visiting the hospital (His father specifically) and then regained consciousness and fled the sight before anyone could get her name, the only reason anyone even knew she had left by herself being the CCTV footage of her leaving the room under her own power.

The Fordman's were not a religious family; The closest to being religious was Mrs. Fordman's gold cross, worn around her neck to commemorate her father; a Christian man whom had served during 'Nam, and who's own father had saved lives during the London Blitz before later emigrating over to America to marry a young blonde woman, the daughter of Smallville's own Sheriff at the time; The reason that Whitney himself was a Blonde.

Despite having several generations of family in Smallville he had never wanted to live here and take over his Father's hardware store as his own father's father had done before him and his father before that: He wanted to see the world, to travel and see new places.

Originally he had had that lingering feeling in the back of his mind that maybe he could serve his country; help fight for his homeland. His father quickly beat that notion out of him however, shouting at the top of his lungs that: "No son of mine is going to march off to his death!"

Jack Fordman had the greatest respect for his country and the people who served them, but he himself had been a soldier once, and he'd be damned if his own son did the same!

Suffice it to say that idea had quickly dropped out the window and he had quickly re-evaluated his future prospects. Whitney Fordman considered his father's word law and would do anything to appease the man: If he said not to join the army he would not join the army, simple as that.

Back on track though; The Fordman's were not a religious family. Whitney, however, was quickly reconsidering his stance on this view. He didn't know if God did or did not exist, and he didn't particularly give a damn...

However Chloe Sullivan was clearly an Angel, of this Whitney was thoroughly certain. How else could this phenomena possibly be explained? After all, his father's newly-obtained health was clearly a miracle and Chloe was clearly the one that had caused it. She had practically said so herself.

To say the least aside from his own parents Chloe was one of the few people whom had earned Whitney Fordman's loyalty: It was because of this that no-one would ever know that after celebrating the victory they had earned, Trevor (despite being the one to tell Principal Quan) was NOT the one to tell the School newspaper of the cheating members of the team.

Whitney valued his friends and would forgive them for nearly anything and support them wholeheartedly, however he always put his family before them and he'd be damned if he'd betray the Angel that had repaired the fractures in his family.

* * *

><p>Chloe all but skipped up the front steps leading to the Basketball court. "Pete thinks I'm being too hard on Coach Walt." She grinned sardonically. You'd think having to relive your life would get annoying with all the repeats she went through, however she couldn't <em>help<em> but enjoy it, even if it did feel a bit like saying the same thing twice.

She sighed. "Now while I'm touched by that hallmark moment you don't get points for subtlety in journalism." She kept up her pace before realizing that neither boy was still walking.

Turning around she found Clark cringing while Pete stared at her confusedly. It dawned on her in seconds what had gone wrong: She had reminisced the next line out of her mouth before Pete could speak. 'Oops.'

She smirked and covered up her mistake with a teasing grin. "Pete, I know full well what you were going to say: 'Watched the Superbowl with us, came around on the weekends', ect. ect." She shook her head in faux-exasperation. "You're getting predictable Ross." She taunted before carrying on across the courtyard.

The shorter young man turned to his super-powered friend, looking hurt. "I'm not predictable... Am I?"

Clark grinned down at his friend playfully. "I'm not sure what to say Pete, 'tell no lies' and all that."

His grin widened and he walked on, leaving the other boy to pout after the two of them. "Guys, that's not funny!" He hollered, jogging to catch up.

"But seriously." Chloe smiled self-assuredly. "I've already started getting hate-mail."

Clark raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You seem very happy about that, why?" He asked in mild curiosity, long used to his friends eccentricity.

She smirked again, devilishly. "Because it means that I'm hitting a nerve."

Pete caught up to the two of them. "If you think it's my teammates reading the Torch you're giving them WAY too much credit." He added, trying to include himself into the conversation.

She merely shrugged, afflicting an innocent look upon her face. "I never said that."

Clark stopped in front of her and she barely managed to avoid walking into him; she turned to see what had caught his attention just in time to catch Lana storming past her. She looked over to where the two had been standing just in time to lock eyes with Whitney. He smiled.

"Any idea how they got that midterm quota?" Clark asked her as the football team, led by Coach Walt walked past.

She calmly raised her Camera, snapping off a picture and letting it hang around her neck. "I do. I'll tell you later." Clark nodded. Despite only having been around for a while the two of them had already worked out the basics of a code. 'I'll tell you later.' translating to: 'Not in Public.'

She was distracted by a sharp movement out of the corner of her eye and spun, pressing back against Clark as a football flew past where her head had been. "Whoa!" She exclaimed, gulping.

Clark glared at the boy over by the meeting and Chloe turned to see one of the heftier and dumber members of the team, arm still extended in a throwing position. She grabbed Clark's arm when he made to throw the ball back at the guy. "Mind if I?" She asked, gesturing towards the ball.

He glanced at her, confused, but nonetheless passed the ball to her.

The guy frowned at her as she walked over to him, holding the ball at chest-level. "Is this yours?" She calmly asked, smiling sweetly. The guy grunted and leaned forwards to take the ball... Leaving his jawline level with the top of her head.

*CRACK*

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She cried 'apologetically', holding her mouth with one hand as he collapsed to the floor, holding his heavily bleeding nose. "It was a total accident, I didn't... I am so, SO sorry!" Her words didn't quite fall in line with the devious smile hidden beneath her hand.

She quickly walked away, leaving his teammates to take him to the Nurse's office. Unnoticed to all a red-faced, heavy-set stocky man had seen the entire thing. Coach Walt was not pleased.

* * *

><p>Chloe stepped out of her car and walked over to the Mansion. It was very easy to get a fake driver's licence for a hacker of her caliber and she couldn't help but bathe in the feeling of joy her car gave her. It was the same one she had driven when she was younger; A bright red bug, however she had made a few modifications: A GPS tracker and MP3 player, along with a special tracker on the front rim being the simplest of changes.<p>

She smiled at the Security staff as she walked past, receiving nods in return.

"...My father sent me to Smallville because he'd rather surround himself with drones than someone that would challenge his Archaic business practices." She frowned as she pushed open the doors to the study.

"Did I come at a bad time?" She asked the older/younger man, immediately noticing the intense dislike between him and the bearded fellow standing next to him.

His eyes lit up and he briefly shook his head. "No, no. This meeting is adjourned."

She stepped out of the way as the disgruntled man stepped past her with his associates. "Oh, and Dominic." The man, Dominic, paused before the door. "Tell your sister I said hi." The man turned to glare at Lex and twitched as his eyes settled on her for a brief second before he walked past her and out of the study.

"So." She turned back to Lex, smiling. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He grinned slyly.

"Oh, nothing." She smiled, waving a hand nonchalantly. "Just decided to see how you were doing. Boss giving you trouble?" She joked.

Lex sighed. "My father's obsessed with making me look bad, it seems. And his drones certainly aren't helping."

Chloe grimaced. "Ouch, Lionel certainly doesn't give off a very 'nice guy' vibe." She nodded.

Lex narrowed his eyes at her. "And how would you know my father?" He asked her curiously.

She looked up from where she was leaning against his pool table. "My dad works for for your dad. I've seen him at a work conference. He gives off a very 'Luciferesque' aura."

Lex raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you just compare my father to the devil?" He questioned, amused.

She shrugged. "If the shoe fits." She replied.

Lex chuckled. "Fair is fair."

She hesitated for a moment as though unsure. "Anyway, how about a game of pool. I've never played before?" She asked, her lips quirking into a small grin.

Lex smirked. "Of course, as a beginner maybe you'll get lucky." he joked. "But with my skills it's doubtful." He boasted jokingly.

She grinned back at him. "You're good; But with my help you could be the best."

He tilted his head slightly. "I'm afraid I don't get the reference."

She stopped and gaped. "You've never seen Ace Ventura?" Her eyes widened further as he shook his head. "Dear god. You may have skills, money and education, but you still have a lot to learn."

* * *

><p>AN: So yeah, I plan on turning this episode into a 2-parter. Ciao!


	4. Episode 3 Hothead Part II

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smallville or anyone or anything in Smallville.

**Rating: **Rated for sexual situations, language and possible violent situations.

**Summary: **Takes place first in Season 9 episode 17 - "Checkmate" in the episode when Chloe is kidnapped and then back to Season 1 just before the Pilot. Captured by Checkmate, Chloe is shot. Turns out Brainiac may have changed her meteor power more than she knew.

**Pairing: **Chlark.

**A/N: **Sorry for the (_extremely_) long wait. Other fics, real life, numerous other ridiculous excuses that change _nothing_! (WUBWUBWUB!)

Enjoy!

**Chapter four:**

* * *

><p>Chloe walked into the darkened room, raising an eyebrow as she took in the lack of contents, save one. A single item of interest was held in the center of the room, shadows casting the damaged vehicle in an eerie light and causing fractured light to reflect off the tarnished blue paint. "What's this?" She queried, staring at the battered Porsche.<p>

"The Porsche I was driving when I went off the bridge. I've had my scientists going over it, looking for any faults and such." Lex admitted, shrugging.

Chloe turned to regard him, confused. "Why?"

"Someone in my position never knows when something may have been sabotage or just a fault of their own. It pays to be safe." Lex started, walking around the side of the vehicle to look in the shattered left window, absently regarding the massive hole in the front screen that she had gone through to get to him. "Once upon a time, a rich man stayed in a hotel that burned to the ground. He was in the room surrounded by it for three hours. Later, after he had gotten out, he bought the hotel. He's always stayed in that room ever since; When I asked him why he told me that fate couldn't find him twice."

Chloe shivered at his choice of words, biting her bottom lip as she took in the car in a new light. 'Fate couldn't find him twice...' "You believe in fate?" She asked, only half-focused on his answer.

"No." She was snapped out of her reverie and turned her head to look at him, nearly missing the suspicious look he gave her at her apparent fascination with the vehicle. "I believe that we all make our own choices. For better or for worse. But it's something to think about, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>Chloe left the mansion, thoughts awhirl as she mulled Lex's words over in her head. Mere hours ago she had been focused on her story about the cheating football team when the Luthor progeny had called her, inviting her over. It was... Strange, being "friend"'s with a man who had, in another life, experimented on both her and her mother, tortured and ruined so many people and wrecked both Lana and, in a way, Clark for life.<p>

She was still thinking when she got in her bright red VW beetle and made her way home. Despite turning down Lex's gift her dad had given her part of the funding and, using nearly two year's worth of birthday and Christmas money, she had re-bought her old choice of transportation.

She pondered over her (current) life, brow furrowing as she thought over everything currently happening. Within the span of just a couple of weeks she had seemingly fully adapted to her old life as though nothing had changed. It was disconcerting.

She frequently had the feeling that she needed to do one thing or another, much as she had when she was younger, but not once had she questioned it; The need to finish a report, the urge to write an article, so easily hanging out with Clark and Pete, so many things just slotting themselves into her life like pieces of a jigsaw, and not once had she really asked herself what she should do to change things. Where could she get black K? The three stones that Clark needed? Locating Davis Bloome?

Her head felt like it would burst as she thought over everything that she hadn't done.

Of course it wasn't entirely her fault; Many things were inaccessible, others she couldn't find, even her old technology was unavailable to her for the moment. (And wasn't _that_ a kick in the ass.)

"Chloe!" She was jolted out of her thoughts by a deep voice, blue eyes zooming in on her as the owner ran toward her. "Thank god, when I heard..."

"Heard what?" She asked, befuddled as she took in her best friend Clark Kent, jacket singed and hair disheveled. "Clark, what happened?"

"Someone burnt the Torch to down."

She froze.

* * *

><p>She hadn't even realized that she had formed an attachment with her old workplace until she took in the blackened wall, the fried computer and the kindling that remained of the desk and chairs. Sad eyes took in the damaged wall, now bereft of all but a measly few stray pieces of ineligible paper. "Oh no..." She said vacantly, turning as she looked at the office.<p>

"Are you alright?" She heard Clark say beside her, concern written across his face.

"Yeah... Yeah." She said firmly, shaking herself out of her depressed thoughts. "I'm fine. I am." She insisted at his pitying look.

"You're sure?" He sounded, dubious.

"Yes, I'm sure. Right now we've got bigger problems. I thought that perhaps he got his powers from the meteor rock, but even without them in his sweat box it seems like Coach Walt has found another way to get powers."

"Chloe, it wasn't meteor rocks." The plaid clad farmboy spoke once more, frowning.

"I- Wait, what?" She turned to him, confused.

"The police found him trying to sneak away after the fire and he started acting suspiciously, they found the originating point of the fire and some papers and the stub of a match, not from the office," He clarified at her narrowed eyes. "And when they searched him they found a box of matches and shreds in his coat pocket."

"Huh... They figured that out quickly." She observed, slightly stunned as she took in the explanation of what had apparently happened. "But how did thy link him to the fire so quickly, what about the other students outside?"

"Only two of them had soot-stained clothing, and only one even had anything flammable on him. A lighter and some cigarettes. Gary Nicholson." He supplied for her benefit, causing the memory of one of the basketball team players to emerge. "And seeing as he had people to vouch for him..." He trailed off.

"That's..." Her thoughts trailed off as she realized something. Infection or not, either way the coach was willing to burn her to death to stop her from publishing her article. "Son of a bitch." She swore.

"Chloe!" Clark chided halfheartedly, smiling slightly as he did so.

"Sorry." She waved off, stuck on the thought that a psychotic football coach had tried to kill her."I'm just glad no-one was hurt."

Clark's smile wavered and he pursed his lips. "Someone was." He revealed reluctantly, causing her to freeze and turn to him, green eyes wide.

"Who? Are they alright?" She swallowed a lump in her throat. Very few people ever visited her office, so she knew that there was very little chance of it being someone she didn't know.

"The fire spread to the hallway and went up because of the message boards and injured principal Kwan, apparently he was trying to save someone else there. The police aren't completely sure, but they think that both Trent Reynor and Sean Calvin were caught in the fire." He revealed, blinking when she froze.

Trent Reynor was a football team member in his second year, known for his bullying other students and temper; She didn't really remember him that well, other than the fact that after a girl named Abbie put him under a horrifying illusion and that, after that event, he reformed and went on to become a grief councilor (A shock even now). Sean Calvin, however, was an entirely different matter. Also a member of the football team, he had been frozen in Crater lake and gone on to kill other students for warmth, including an attempt on her life. It had ended with the human ice cube being thrown back into the lake, months later fished out and eventually rehabilitated. (To an extent. Last she heard he was back in jail for GBH.)

"How are they?" She queried, looking up at him.

"Trent's alright, he suffered smoke inhalation damage and some third degree burns, but Sean..." He grimaced. "By the time they got here he'd fallen unconscious. The principal's trying to keep it quiet but apparently, from what I heard, he didn't make it. He was on the roof when it started and it spread about two corridor's across and a full floor up. He didn't stand a chance. If I'd just gotten here sooner."

"It's not your fault Clark." She said sympathetically, patting him on the arm and giving a smile. Inside, however, her thoughts were stuck on how much things had changed.

Coach Walt was still alive, if arrested, Sean Calvin was dead, Trent injured, Lex was trying to befriend her, Clark knew that she knew his secret and she'd saved Lex instead of him. She gulped as things flew through her head, eyes widening as they all pointed towards one inconclusive yet no less likely fact;

She didn't know what was going to happen next.

* * *

><p>AN: Quite a short chapter, but only because this is the second half of Hothead and, in addition, a divergent point. From here on out I'll try to keep the chapter's episodic but while some things will be the same other's _will _be different. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story. :)

And now for responses:

**mpanze20: **Planning on it, don't you worry. :)

**ssj3gohan007: **Thanks! I'll try not to disappoint.

**Adrift At Sea: **Thanks, I know how you feel in that regard, I'm always disappointed when I see some truly awesome Chlark stories just abandoned two, three chapters in. :( Nonetheless, I will finish this story, no matter how long it takes.

**She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Sane: **I'll try. It's mainly about motivation; I'd rather update with good content now and then than just zone out halfhearted rubbish. Don't want to let you down, after all! :)

**LanaaLuthor: **ALRIGHT, alright! Calm down, I'll be back ASAP. XD

**Ancient Arbiter: **I will, pinky swear. :3

**CaribbeanTrinidadian: **Thanks, I'll try. :)

And thanks to everyone else that reviewed this fic. I appreciate the support! Merry Christmas! :D


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